Monday, November 6, 2017

Blog Tour/Guest Post: The Ghost Chronicles 2 by Marlo Berliner


 
On Tour with Prism Book Tours

The Ghost Chronicles 2
by Marlo Berliner
Young Adult Paranormal
Paperback & ebook, 384 Pages
October 17th 2017 by Teddy Blue Books

**If you love ghost stories and the paranormal, then THE GHOST CHRONICLES series is the perfect new read for you!**

What's there to fear if you're already dead?
Plenty.
Michael and Sarah now know for certain, there is a destination after death.
They also know they better find their way out of the afterlife fast, before the devil claims Michael's soul.
What they don't know?
Before they can get to heaven...
they may just have to go through hell.

*Inspired by the legend of a haunting at the famous Angel of the Sea bed and breakfast in Cape May, NJ*


Guest Post

What’s there to fear if you’re already dead?
Plenty.
Come along with us as we continue to delve into what it might be like to be a ghost in the afterlife. Follow the story of Michael and Sarah, learn more about the setting, feel a little romantic tension... We hope you enjoy what you find!

THE GHOST CHRONICLES 2 is a YA paranormal with adult crossover appeal and it is the second book in my award-winning Ghost Chronicles series. The first book won the 2016 NJRW Golden Leaf Award for Best First Book, was named FINALIST in the National Indie Excellence Awards for Young Adult Fiction, received the Literary Classics Seal of Approval, was awarded a B.R.A.G. Medallion, and was named one of the “best indie YA books we have seen in the past year, from both self-publishers and small presses” by IPPY Magazine. The second book continues Michael’s ghostly adventures in the afterlife, now with Sarah by his side. Here’s the full blurb for the book:

What’s there to fear if you’re already dead?
Plenty.

Michael and Sarah now know for certain, there is a destination after death.
They also know they better find their way out of the afterlife fast, before the devil claims Michael’s soul.
What they don’t know?
Before they can get to heaven…
they may just have to go through hell.

As the second book in the series, it took me nearly eighteen months to write. I can usually write and polish a complete novel in six months, so this book challenged me in ways I never anticipated. I only realized what my problem was in February 2017 when I saw a video posted by John Green. In that heartfelt video, John explained why it took him almost five years to complete another novel after The Fault in Our Stars. John talked about feeling intense pressure to make his next book be as big of a success as The Fault in Our Stars and how that pressure led to anxiety, a fear of failure, and depression over his writing. He said he felt terrified that the next book that would follow up TFIOS would never be as good. He felt as if every time he wrote, fans were looking over his shoulder. Here is the video if you’d like to see:



The day I saw John’s video I cried for almost an hour. I realized I was having many of the same feelings in writing TGC2. Each time I received a great review, or an email or message from a fan on my website, Facebook, or Goodreads praising THE GHOST CHRONICLES and asking when the second book would be out, I had ten minutes of elation followed by four hours of tears, anxiety and depression. I wanted desperately to write TGC2, but I felt like the words I was writing in my draft just didn’t measure up to the level of the first book. I felt exactly like John did – like fans were watching over my shoulder. And I became terrified of letting them down.

But once I saw John’s video, I realized what was happening to me and remembered what in my mind is the most important writing rule to never forget – give yourself permission to write a crappy first draft. As many times as I had heard that, I had forgotten that it should apply to every book you write. My problem was that I was comparing a rough draft to its finished, polished predecessor. Don’t do this! If you’re writing the second book in a series, give yourself permission to write a crappy first draft, but be confident and secure in the knowledge that when you go back in to revise, that’s when the beauty will shine through. Because that’s when it’s supposed to shine through. It’s like trying to compare a rough sculpture to a finely detailed, finished one, like The David. The two sculptures are never going to compare, because they’re not supposed to. In order to begin anything, it has to begin rough, and then you lay on the fine details and the polish. Never compare your current WIP to your last completed book, ever. You’re sculpting – have confidence that only once you’re completely finished, that’s when your current book will resemble your last book.

While I can’t begin to compare my success to that of John Green, I will say I owe him a tremendous debt of gratitude for his timely video. After watching it, I felt the anxiety melt away and I was able to finish writing THE GHOST CHRONICLES 2. If I ever see him at a conference or an event, I’m going to give him a great big bear hug.

Other Books in the Series

The Ghost Chronicles
by Marlo Berliner

Young Adult Paranormal

Paperback & ebook, 298 Pages
November 17th 2015 by Teddy Blue Books

Can Michael get to heaven before the devil gets him first, and if it means leaving Sarah is he sure he still wants to go?

Michael Andrews had everything – a loving family, a great girlfriend and a promising basketball career. That was before the accident that took his life. Now, he’s a ghost, wandering among the living, struggling to understand why he’s stuck. All he wants is to move on.

That is until he meets Sarah, an attractive young girl who died just as tragically as he did. The only trouble is falling in love and binding oneself to another soul is forbidden, for it may keep one or both of the souls bound to earth for longer than they should be.

To make matters worse, there’s also a danger in going too far with Sarah, because the “joining” of two souls in the afterlife is also strictly forbidden and they don’t know what will happen if they do go that far. Each time they touch they can feel the boundaries of their energies slipping perilously into one another.

Things get even more complicated as Michael learns he’s being pursued. Demons are after him because he’s a marked soul, a soul the devil wants very badly for some unknown reason.

So, maybe falling in love in the afterlife isn’t such a good idea.


About the Author


Marlo Berliner is the award-winning author of THE GHOST CHRONICLES, her debut book which was released in November 2015 to critical acclaim. Marlo writes young adult, women’s fiction, and short stories. Marlo is represented by Eric Ruben of The Ruben Agency.

When she's not writing or editing, Marlo loves reading, relaxing at the beach, watching movies, and rooting for the Penn State Nittany Lions. After having spent some wonderful time in Pittsburgh and Houston, she’s now back in her home state of New Jersey where she resides with her husband, two sons, and a rambunctious puppy named Max.


Tour Schedule

October 30th: LaunchHarlie's Books & Mythical Books

October 31st: Wishful Endings

November 1st: 100 Pages A Day

November 2nd: Beck Valley Books

November 3rd: Mello & June, It's a Book Thang!

November 6th: Mel's Shelves

November 7th: Colorimetry

November 8th: Min Reads and Reviews

November 9th: Brooke Blogs

November 9th: The Bookworm Chronicles

November 10th: Bookworm Lisa

November 11th: Grand Finale


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1 comments:

Marlo Berliner said...

Thanks for having me!

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